Nursing today is a time for renewal, a time to evaluate our practice, make changes based on evidence, and to see what we do as collaborative with the entire healthcare team. We will have one common goal: what is best for our patients, physically, mentally, and spiritually. We believe that nurses have the unique ability to help patients connect body, mind and spirit and guide them through the stress and emotional upheaval that their illness puts them through.
There are many nursing theories and we believe that not one, but several, can be incorporated into our practice of nursing.
Nurses at Piedmont Medical Center view each patient as an individual with an immediate need for nursing. All patients will have a comprehensive nursing assessment, plan of care and identification of short and long-term goals in an effort to help them return to the pre-illness state of health.
We will function, as teachers, care experts, morale agents and advocates respecting the rights, cultural values, and unique differences of all patients who seek our care. The nurses at Piedmont believe the following statements are central to their practice of nursing:
“A humanistic science dedicated to compassionate concern for maintaining and promoting health, preventing illness and caring for rehabilitating the sick and disabled.” (Martha E. Rogers)
“A learned humanistic and scientific profession and discipline which is focused on human care phenomena and activities in order to assist, support, facilitate or enable individuals or groups to maintain or regain their well-being (or health) in culturally meaningful and beneficial ways, or help people face handicaps or death.” (Madeleine M. Leninger)
“A human science of persons and human health experiences that are medicated by professional, personal, scientific, esthetic, and ethical care transactions.” (Jean Watson)
“…reverence for the gift of life, respect for dignity, worth, autonomy and individuality of each human being and the resolution to get dynamically in relation to one’s belief.” (Ernestine Wiedenbach) Family-Centered Maternity Nursing
“When nursing focuses on the patient’s body-mind-spirit, they view each patient as an individual, realizing that no therapy will work equally well for all patients. Even the simplest nursing act can never be a neutral event.” (Barbara Dorsey, Cathie Guzzetta, Cornelia Kenner)
Nurses recognize the right of all patients to be informed and participate in care. Orem’s self-care model is a professional practice model with three components to care:
- Nurse provides total care
- Patient and nurse share care
- Nurse as consultant for care
Nursing standards are established by usual practice such as legal precedent, association guidelines, hospital and medical center standards, and best practice models in order to establish an agreed upon level of performance and a level of excellence in patient care.
Nurses at Piedmont will continuously investigate methods to enhance clinical competency, promote the hospital’s nursing core values, and provide a synergistic environment for their patients, their significant others, and themselves.